


the breath of the ocean on your skin

by FeatheredShadow



Category: The Tudors (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 11:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14714985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatheredShadow/pseuds/FeatheredShadow
Summary: She had been sitting on the beach long enough, staring at the ocean and thinking about her life, until he came along.





	the breath of the ocean on your skin

**Author's Note:**

> [companion edit](http://darknesshadows.tumblr.com/post/174087424044/she-had-been-sitting-on-the-beach-long-enough)

The sun was burning slightly on her skin but she didn’t care, too focused on the ocean in front of her to be bothered. She knew she would need to apply some cooling cream as soon as she got back to the flat she had been staying on, but such menial thoughts were only floating at the back of her mind – pale English skin be damned. Besides, she had tanned enough over the past few weeks to know she wouldn’t even get that bad of a sunburn – at worst, she would be a little red, and the burn would be gone in the morning after, as long as she remembered to use the adequate product on her skin.

Still, it was only a detail. Besides, it felt nice to be on her own, if at least for a couple of hours. François and Marguerite had been very nice to invite her to join them on their holidays on the Atlantic coast, on the family domain, but the constant presence of someone else had made it difficult for her to relax fully. Marguerite was nice – and she was probably closer to her than to her actual sister – but François’s incessant flirting could get a little tiring – although she knew he meant nothing by it. He had eyes only for Françoise, these days, and flirting was in his nature, but as things currently were… well, she was glad to be away from it for a little time, at least.

Her heart was already occupied by someone else, in any case, and she wasn’t going to let it be ruined by something as meaningless as a summer’s flirt.

Still, she didn’t know if she was going to see _him_ before the end of her stay in France. Her father was already clamoring for her to come back, saying she was more needed at home given the _current scandal_ – he could be so outdated in his way of thinking, sometimes – but it was the farthest thing she wanted to do.

She loved her brother, she really did, but the way he was handling the whole matter was terrible and she didn’t want to have to pick a side between him and her sister-in-law. It was already difficult enough to handle the question of her little niece – Mary was such a smart girl, especially for her age – but to find the right equilibrium to explain things to her without blaming one parent or another…

No, she wasn’t eager to come back.

And it wasn’t like if she could drown herself into work to forget about that – being a socialite was all fun and games, but it wasn’t intellectually challenging enough to keep her mind busy. Marguerite seemed to always be busy, going from one event to another and managing the family’s foundation in the background, focused on bringing education and diplomas to those who needed them – but she didn’t have anything like that to keep herself occupied.

Maybe it was time for her to focus a little more on what she really wanted to do and less on what her parents meant for her to be doing.

“Penny for your thoughts, princess.”

The familiar voice tore her from her thoughts and she turned around, a bright smile illuminating her face. Charles was standing in front of her, an almost sheepish smile on his face, his skin also tanned by the sun.

She studied him not so discreetly as he settled down next to her on the beach, noticing the way muscles were moving under his clothes. He looked almost boyish with his new haircut – curls forming tentatively, which never failed to make her swoon – and more relaxed than she had seen him in a long time.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Mary said with a little surprise in her voice. “Not that I’m complaining.”

She winces inwardly – way to be smooth, girl, she reprimanded herself.

Charles only laughed at that, a small, private smile on his lips. He caught her looking at him and slightly tilted his head to the side, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

Sometimes, she really hated how her feelings could show so easily on her skin, with no amount of tan strong enough to hide them.

“François invited me. I have no idea how he knew where he was, but…” he shrugged a little. “Well, I got there on my way back from Spain.”

“I guess the weather must have been better there.”

Charles laughed again.

“We had air conditioning in the gymnasium, but it’s actually more breathable here,” and he nodded towards the ocean, obviously enjoying the breeze on his skin, “than in Madrid. Summers in the middle of the country are _hot_ , if you see what I mean.”

There was no innuendo in his words and Mary nodded, remembering that one time she had gone to spend holidays in Catalina’s family, when she was a teenager. They had spent a week in Toledo and she had thought she wasn’t going to make it, unused to the Spanish weather as she was.

“How did the competition go?” she enquired, curious.

Usually, either Henry or she would have come to encourage him, but her brother was stuck in London dealing with the divorce’s procedures, and her father had made it clear she wasn’t to go unaccompanied.

_Not a place fit for a lady_ , according to him.

Well, to hell with that. He had made decisions for her for too long now.

Charles shrugged a little at her question, lying down on the beach, his pants stretching a little around his thighs.

Not that she would have been watching his every move.

“As usual. We didn’t even make it to the top ten, but at least, we’re in the top fifteen. It’s better than what we did some years, so…”

“And what about _you_?”

He looked at her for a moment, thoughtful, before smiling a little.

“Didn’t bring a medal home, if that’s what you’re asking, but I’m better on my own than within the team.”

“Your teammates are bad, then,” Mary said in a decisive tone, bringing a laugh out of him. “I’m serious!”

“You sounded exactly like the coach, that’s what was funny.”

He smiled again, the gentleness on his face weakening her knees.

Good thing she was sitting down, looking over him, because she wouldn’t have been able to hide her trouble otherwise.

“But it doesn’t matter. I’m on holidays now, and intent on making the best out of it.”

“You know that François wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t mean for you to make a demonstration, right?” Mary teased him a little.

Charles snorted, amused.

“I know. I only hope his friends got better since the last time, it was embarrassing for them.”

“They’re amateurs, Charles,” Mary reminded him with a little laugh. “They don’t practice fencing in worldwide competitions.”

“You would be surprised to know who I came across,” Charles retorted with a raised eyebrow. “But yeah, we’re not on the same level.”

They remained silent for a moment, watching the waves rolling on the beach, the rays of the sun bringing multiple nuances to the dark blue of the Atlantic Ocean. Their little corner was quiet, most families having left already and the remaining groups of youths being farther from them – it did help that the Valois’ domain had a direct, private access to the beach, and people tended to stay away from it, not very inclined to come close to the bodyguards guarding it.

It probably had something to do with the dogs, Mary had pondered upon the first days of her arrival. Or maybe it really was down to the guards.

“I thought you would have stayed in London, this summer,” Charles said after a time, all tease gone from his voice.

Mary turned to look at him. He had gotten back into a sitting position and was looking straight ahead with a serious expression on his face.

“I couldn’t stand the atmosphere there anymore. Dad is making it worse for everyone, taking side with Catalina every step of the way. It’s not helping.”

She and her mother and her sister all agreed that Henry’s decision to divorce Catalina and move onto a new life with his new companion partly came from the fact they had married too young – Henry had barely been eighteen, after all, crazy in love for sure, but twelve years later and a little daughter with him… well, love had died out. Maybe he would have stayed, if he hadn’t met another woman he had passionately fell in love with, but things had turned out differently. Now, they all agreed it was for the best that his first marriage came to an end – at least for him and Catalina to get another chance at happiness with someone else – but it did not make watching their suffering any easier.

Charles hummed noncommittally.

“Your father always liked her.”

“Henry can’t stand the fact that he is standing with her rather with him – or rather than not taking sides at all.”

“I know,” Charles said in a low voice, slightly turning to look at her. “He told me.”

Mary smiled bitterly.

“I’m guessing he told you more than he told anyone of us.”

Charles hesitated for a moment.

“You’re his family, Mary. I’m…”

“The best friend who has been there since kindergarten. Don’t fret.”

She smiled a little before the seriousness of the conversation washed over her again.

“You know mom considers you her third son, since you helped with… what happened with Arthur.”

The heaviness of these dark, bleak months hovered between them for a moment before Charles shrugged it away.

“Your mother has always been more welcoming to strangers than your father.”

Mary frowned a little.

“What did he say again?”

Charles avoided her eyes for a moment.

“Nothing different than usual. He just doesn’t understand why Henry keeps hanging with a jock when there are _more important people_ to deal with.”

Mary huffed a little, her anger at her father suddenly coming back and growing.

“It’s time he stops trying to direct our lives,” she hissed viciously. “There is a reason why Arthur left a country and hasn’t come back, and I know Henry is getting sick of it. I am, too.”

The shadow of a smile appeared on Charles’ lips.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve been following his plans for me for long enough now. It’s high time to fly away,” she said decisively.

She had been thinking about it for a long time now – playing the pretty doll at parties and charity events had gone on for too long. She wanted to try her hands at something that really mattered to her – the personal projects that she hadn’t shared with anyone, but the urge to bring them to life was growing stronger with each passing day.

“Where are you going to start, then?” Charles enquired, curious.

Mary looked at him. There were the thoughtfulness and the attentive expression she had seen on his face multiple times when she had walked on his brother explaining his plans – and maybe even his dreams – to Charles, laced with a fondness that didn’t seem unfamiliar either.

It had been a constant companion over the past ten years, when she had started growing into her own woman instead of being only Henry’s darling little sister.

“I think you know where,” she said in a low voice, looking intensely at him.

They had danced so close at her brother’s New Year Eve’s party, in a private corner on the balcony, with – miraculously – snow falling down all over them and London. It had been quiet and perfect – just the two of them, talking, dancing, sharing hopes and dreams and secrets.

Charles’s eyes were shining bright and his lips were surprisingly sweet, already tasting a little salted despite the short time he had spent on the beach.

Their first kiss was a little hesitant and they soon stopped, looking at each other – and was Charles blushing? She knew she was, but him… oh, it was too good a sight to be ignored. Charles looked adorable, there was no other word, and she felt herself fall a little more in love with him than she already was.

“The Tudor spirit,” Charles whispered against her lips before kissing her again, one hand moving against her back to bring her closer, while the other started playing with her hair, getting her to deepen the kiss.

He laughed a little and she felt it reverberate against her body, smiling into the kiss. Their bodies were moving closer and closer until they were fitting against each other so perfectly well it was difficult to say where one began and the other ended.

“Taking only was has been offered,” Mary whispered in return, blushing a little as Charles nipped at her lips.

“Always so careful,” Charles said with a raised eyebrow between two kisses and she laughed before settling on his thighs to kiss him even more intensely, her hands moving onto his hair.

His curls were even softer than she had expected and she smiled, privately pleased by the knowledge.

This was a brand-new chapter of her life opening, and it couldn’t have started any better – with Charles against her, the warm sand sticking to her legs and the ocean moving quietly behind them.

It was a perfect new beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always more than welcome :)


End file.
